FAIRFIELD — It had been two years since the Lawrence football team played a regular season game.
Apparently, with every day that passed, the energy the Bulldogs were ready to unleash upon their return only grew and grew.
Parker Higgins scored three touchdowns, Matt Trombley added two more, and preseason B North favorite Lawrence looked even better than billed, overwhelming Mt. Blue 56-3 at Keyes Field Friday night.
The Bulldogs thrived in all three phases, took a lead and built upon it with ease, and were still riding the high of their performance in the moments well after the final whistle.
“It’s a great feeling. I love it so much,” said Trombley, who ran six times for 88 yards and the two carries. “To come in from two years off and win this game 56-3 against one of the better teams in our conference, it’s amazing. It’s a great feeling.”
Did he expect the game to be so one-sided?
“To be honest, no,” he said. “I knew we were good, but to come in and dominate from the beginning on was amazing.”
His teammates felt the same way.
“We knew we had the talent, but we weren’t sure if we were going to mesh it all together,” said Higgins, who ran seven times for 102 yards and two scores, including a 90-yard gallop, and also caught two passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. “We showed tonight we could do it. We’re going to have a good run.”
The Lawrence backs knew nothing but good runs Friday. Bulldog ballcarriers rushed 27 times for 390 yards, with the offensive line of center Cam Littlefield, guards Storer Boyden and Josh Hutchins and tackles Hunter Garand, Joe Page and Tobey Sullivan — “the strength of our team,” coach John Hersom said — having its way against the Mt. Blue front.
“It starts with the O-line up front,” Higgins said. “The holes were wide open. Every time we got the ball, so much room to run. You couldn’t ask for anything better. It starts with the guys up front, and they did great.”
“Holes as big as semi trucks,” Trombley said. “It was insane.”
Lawrence quarterback Andrew Trombley (4) gets off a pass as he’s hit by Mt. Blue defender Tyler Blauvelt during a Pine Tree Conference Class B game Friday night at Keyes Field in Fairfield. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Quarterback Andrew Trombley (three carries, 82 yards) got the scoring started with a 42-yard touchdown run on the first drive. After a Mt. Blue punt, Higgins took his second carry 90 yards for a score and a 14-0 lead with 7:54 left in the first quarter.
“On my touchdown, I didn’t get touched,” Higgins said. “All blocking right there.”
The Bulldogs weren’t done. Cade Scott returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown with 1:59 left in the first quarter, and Matt Trombley broke a 62-yard run for a score on Lawrence’s second play of the second quarter. Andrew Trombley found Higgins for a 19-yard touchdown on the next series, making it 35-0, and Higgins rounded out the first half scoring with a 10-yard run with 3:17 to go.
A second touchdown run from Matt Trombley, this one from four yards out, made it 49-3, and Noah Grass finished up the scoring with a 12-yard run.
For all the offense, Lawrence’s defense was just as stout. The Bulldogs had answers for everything the Cougars tried, and limited Mt. Blue’s trio of quarterback Jayden Meader, Maurice Romanyshyn and Hayden Dippner to 42 yards on 18 carries.
Mt Blue’s Hayden Dippier, left, stiff-arms Lawrence defender Noah Grass (22) during a Pine Tree Conference Class B game Friday night at Keyes Field in Fairfield. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
“We did a nice job of blocking, (but) I think it was nice to see our defense also play well,” Hersom said. “They were really gritty. We had some good special teams things going on out there tonight too. I think it was just overall good preparation, and guys stepped up and made plays.”
Mt. Blue coach Scott Franzose said his team needed to be better prepared to match Lawrence’s energy level.
“It feels like this team came to play tonight. We’re still a little bit uncertain, I think a lot of that’s on me,” said Franzose, who has two returning starters in lineman Haisen Foster and kicker Mason Biello, who provided the Mt. Blue points with a 22-yard field goal. “They’re a very good team, they’re not 56-3 better than us. I just feel like we went out and let them dictate, and let them play with more energy. And we didn’t match it.”
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